Ahoy, Matey...Argggh

(Newser) - “We don’t see hijacking as a criminal act,” says Asad “Booyah” Abdulahi, “but as a road tax because we have no central government to control our sea.” Unable to afford college, and unable to get another job thanks to the government’s collapse, Abdulahi began his career as a fisherman, he tells the Guardian, but soon turned to hijacking the foreign fishing vessels that plagued the waters. More »

(Newser) - Detroit’s pleas for a bailout sound an awful lot like blackmail to Bloomberg’s Mark Gilbert. Let GM fail, CEO Rick Wagoner told Congress, and the “level of economic devastation would far exceed” what Detroit is asking for. In other words, give us what we want, or the economy gets it. “Even Somali oil-tanker pirates have so far stopped short of trying to pilfer $25 billion from their victims,” Gilbert writes. More »

(Newser) - Negotiations are under way between Somali pirates and the shipping company that owns the Saudi Arabian oil supertanker they hijacked over the weekend, the BBC reports. The Saudi foreign minister could not say whether Vela International might agree to a ransom. More »

(Newser) - An Indian warship sent a large pirate vessel to Davy Jones’ Locker, after a pitched four- to five-hour sea battle, the New York Times reports, marking the second time in a week that India has clashed with suspected hijackers. The ship, which the Indian commander described as a “mother ship” was surrounded by two smaller vessels, which sped away as it burned. More »

(Newser) - Pirates off the coast of Africa have struck again, hijacking a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Financial Times reports. The Delight has 25 crew members and 36,000 tons of wheat, and hijackers were reportedly steering it toward Somalia. It's the latest in a string of such hijackings, including one of a Saudi super-tanker now anchored off Somalia's coast. More »

(Newser) - The pirates who seized the Sirius Star have reportedly brought their massive prize to anchor off the coast of Somalia, the BBC reports. The Saudi oil tanker’s entire 25-person crew is believed to be safe, but the consequences for international shipping may be far-reaching, Roger Middleton writes in the Times of London.  More »

(Newser) - Pirates flying the Liberian flag hijacked a Saudi Arabian oil tanker today, the BBC reports. The Sirius Star is now bound for the port of Eyl, Somalia, a common destination for pirates to unload their booty. Currently holding its full load of 2 million barrels, the Sirius Star contains one-quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily oil output. "It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated," said a US Navy spokesman. More »

(Newser) - Attacks by Somali pirates have major shippers considering changing routes that run through the Suez Canal, Reuters reports, a move would add weeks to the time it takes ships to get